Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/werageld

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-West Germanic

Etymology

From *wer (“man”) +‎ *geld (“payment”).

Noun

*werageld n

compensation for a man's life, wergeld

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*werageld
Genitive	*werageldas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*werageld	werageldō, werageldōs
Accusative	*werageld	*werageldā
Genitive	*werageldas	*werageldō
Dative	*werageldē	*werageldum
Instrumental	*werageldu	*werageldum

Descendants

Old English: weregeld, wergild
- Middle English: wergeld, weregelt, wergelt
  - English: wergeld
  - Scots: weregilt, wargeld, warȝeld
Old Frisian: werjeld
Old Saxon: *werigeld
- Middle Low German: *wêregelt, *wergelt
  - Low German: Wergeld
Old Dutch: *werigelt
- Middle Dutch: weregelt
  - Dutch: weergeld
Lombardic: wergild
Old High German: werigelt
- Middle High German: wërgëlt
  - German: Wergeld
→ French: wergeld, weregild, wergild
→ Old French: were
- → Spanish: wergild
→ Medieval Latin: werigeldum, weregildum, wergeldus (see there for further descendants)